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Obituary for the week of April 4 to April 8

April 08, 2005 12:00 am

Will Sullens

Wilbert "Will" L. Sullens, 79, of Medical Springs, died April 4, 2005, at his home.

His memorial service will be Saturday at 2 p.m. at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Dale Bingham will conduct the services. Everyone is invited to a finger-food potluck reception at the VFW Hall, 2005 Valley Ave., immediately following the service.

Will was born Nov. 3, 1925, in Prairie City to Russell and Madeleine (Barlow) Sullens. He was raised and received his education in Prairie City. In 1943, he entered the U.S. Army Air Corps, attending flight school in Santa Ana, Calif. He was honorably discharged in 1945 and returned to Prairie City where he became a flight instructor and ran the John Day Airport, which allowed him to accrue the hours necessary to work for an airline.

During this time he also worked as a millwright in the local mill to make ends meet. He married Margaret Howell of Prairie City and to this union, two children were born, Jim and Gloria. They later divorced. Will went to work for United Airlines in Los Angeles and due to scheduling was furloughed. He then went to work as private pilot for Hugh Cotting, Cotting Enterprises, a development builder in San Francisco. While working for Cotting, he also helped in the planning and designing of shopping centers.

In 1955 Will went to work for Pan Am World Airways as a navigator. On one of his trips home he met Janice Wirth, who was singing at a club in John Day. They were married and later adopted a daughter, Karla, in 1967. In 1960, he was stationed in Huntington, Long Island, N.Y., flying to Germany and Africa as co-pilot. He was one of the first charter pilots to fly into Moscow, Russia. He also flew many times into Vietnam during the war. He was stationed in many places, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Seattle and Frankfurt, Germany, where he flew the Berlin corridor.

In 1971, due to Janice's ill health, the Sullenses bought a ranch near Janice's family in Medical Springs so that she would be near her family. Janice passed away in 1980. Will continued to call Medical Springs home and enjoyed his breaks from flying by working on his ranch. In 1984 he became reacquainted with Holly Wright Menard, a flight attendant he met in 1968. He and Holly were married March 16, 1986, in Irvine, Calif. They moved permanently to their ranch in 1985 after Will's retirement from Pan Am. He worked for the company for 29 years, the last 9 as captain flying 747s.

Will was a very talented man who could do anything, be it welding, designer of architect, builder, or political activist. There are so many things that Will did it is hard to acknowledge all of them, but several are worth noting. Will and his brother, Elwin, designed, built and flew the first four-engine B-17 aerial retardant Fire Fighter Flying Aircraft in Chino, Calif. This plane and its design was adopted for use by the U.S. Forest Service. Will designed and helped rebuild the flume for the Big Creek Ditch Co. Will was an excellent carpenter and enjoyed working with wood, metal and cars. As John Wirth, one of his Medical Springs neighbors, said: "Will was the best welder I ever witnessed with acetylene."

Will could fix anything, building the parts needed if necessary. He enjoyed hunting, shooting guns, reading history, listening to music, and flying. However, barbecuing wasn't his forte. He enjoyed politics and was well known for his political letters to the editor. He enjoyed poking fun at candidates and issues but never meanly. He was proud of his heritage and the fact that his grandfather Isaac came over the Oregon Trail in 1854 and his first wife's family blazed the Barlow Trail. He loved life, family and friends and enjoyed each and every day. He was extremely proud of his country and loved being an American.

Will is survived by his wife, Holly, of Medical Springs; his children, Jim Sullens and his wife, Lynette, of Prairie City, Karla Sullens of Pendleton, and Eric Menard of Pacific Grove, Calif.; grandchildren, Jeremy Sullens of Pendleton, and Tiffany Sullens and Brady Sullens, both of Prairie City; a brother, Elwin Sullens and his wife, Dorothy, of Los Alamitos, Calif.; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother and sister, and a daughter, Gloria.

Contributions in Mr. Sullens' memory may be made to the Powder River Sportsman's Club, Oregonians in Action or Soroptimist of Baker County Gift Memorial Fund. This may be done through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.

Andrew Jones

Andrew J. Jones, 79, of Nampa, Idaho, died April 6, 2005, at Nampa.

His memorial service will be Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Zeyer Funeral Chapel, 83 N. Midland Blvd. in Nampa.

Andrew was born Dec. 25, 1925, in Bellevue, Idaho, to Betty and Frank Jones. He married Mary N. Greene in Twin Falls, Idaho on May 25, 1946. They were blessed with three children: Randy, Sue and John.

During World War II Andrew served in the U.S. Navy. Later he owned and operated three motels and a restaurant, was a land developer and retired from Idaho Power Co. where he worked as a commercial industrial representative.

Andrew loved woodworking and building remote control airplanes. He was a fantastic gardener and loved growing flowers and vegetables. He was a past president of the Rotary Club in Monte Vista, Colo., and a past member of the Kiwanis Club. He was a member of Neighborhood Church in Aberdeen, Wash., and currently a member of First Church of the Nazarene of Baker City. Despite tremendous health challenges throughout his life, Andrew had a great tenacity to live and accomplish whatever the Lord had for him to do.

Andrew is survived by his wife, Mary; his children and their spouses, Randy and Yoyo Jones, Sue and Jim Christian, and John and Linnea Jones; seven grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren; four sisters: Ruth Reeder of Emmett, Idaho, Margie Dewey of Boise, Betty Winston of Nampa, and Elsie Loveland of Boise; and a brother, Woodrow Jones of Emmett.

Andrew was preceded in death by his parents and by three brothers, Albert, John and Robert.

Ruby White

Ruby J. White, 75, a resident of Baker Valley, died April 2, 2005, at her home.

Her funeral will be at 1 p.m. Friday at Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St. Private interment will be at Mount Hope Cemetery.

Ruby Jewel White was born March 3, 1930, at Shoshone, Wyo., to Raymond and Kristen Sanders. She attended school at Canyon City, Prairie City, Belshaw District 20 and was a graduate of Grant Union High School.

She worked for Smith Brothers Moving and Storage and then for Ellingson Timber and Ellingson Lumber, retiring in 1994 after 35 years.

Ruby lived for her family and friends. She was always giving, expecting nothing in return. Ruby played the piano, watched and fed the birds, but most of all loved to hunt  be it for rocks, mushrooms, deer, elk, shed horns or even the missed potatoes in the fields.

Ruby's family hopes that friends will take a few minutes to reflect on their memories of Ruby and share them with others who loved and cared for her.

Survivors include her sons, Doug White of Baker City and Dave White and his wife, Bev, of Baker City; a granddaughter, Jessica White of Star, Idaho; and grandson, Max White of Wesidt, Germany; great-granddaughter, Paige Armstrong of Star, Idaho; brothers, Ray Sanders of Ontario and Jim Sanders and his wife, Lee, of Baker City; and much-loved nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.

She was preceded in death by her mother and father; and her husband of 47 years, Duane White.

In lieu of flowers and keeping with what was near and dear to Ruby, the family suggests memorial contributions to the Powder River Sportsman's Club  Youth Education Hunting Challenge (YEHC), which supports local hunter education and activities for the youth of Baker County. This may be done through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.

Joann Boyer

Joann Boyer, 96, died at her Rock Creek home on April 3, 2005.

Her funeral will be at 2 p.m. Monday at Gray's West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Pastor Sally Wiens of the Haines United Methodist Church will officiate. Interment will be at the Haines Cemetery. There will be a reception afterward for family and friends at the United Methodist Church in Haines.

Visitations will be from 10 a.m. to noon Monday at Gray's West & Co.

Joann V. Bond Boyer was born on Aug. 29, 1908, to Charles Wesley and Martha Herndon Bond at Missouri Flat. The family arrived there by rail from Kentucky in March of that year. She grew up there and on a farm near Hot Lake, attending high school at La Grande.

Joann had a 28-year teaching career, gaining credentials from Monmouth and Eastern Oregon normal schools, completing a bachelor of arts degree in English at the University of Oregon at Eugene in 1937, and earning a master's degree in education from Eastern Oregon College in 1962.

Over the years, she taught at Imbler, Vale, South Fork School near Unity, Haines, Muddy Creek, and, for the greatest number of years, in the English classrooms of Baker junior and senior high schools. With a flair for the dramatic, she worked to make her classes as lively as they were informative.

In May 1935, Joann married Kenneth Boyer. After time in Eugene and on his family's ranch at Hereford, they moved to Muddy Creek in 1942.

She spent the rest of her life in the Muddy Creek and Rock Creek communities where, in addition to teaching and rearing three children, she was active in the Mutual Improvement Club, the Farm Bureau, education organizations, including the Baker County Retired Educators, and the United Methodist Church.

Among her family's talents was music. Joann taught herself to play the piano and violin. When young, she and her two younger brothers, Champ and Turner, formed a fiddle, guitar, and banjo trio and played for local dances. Later, when teaching high school, she would calm restless students by threatening to play an old-fashioned fiddle tune for them.

Survivors include two sons, Dale, and his wife, Grace, of Boise, and Duane of Haines; seven grandchildren and their spouses, Gina-Kamas Boyer Choi of Haydenville, Mass., Julie and Joe Glasgow, of Vancouver, Wash., Ken and Marie Boyer of Huntington Beach, Calif., Todd and Tabatha Farrington and Kelly and Genevieve Farrington of Puyallup, Wash., Holly Boyer of Haines and Jason Brandt of Hood River; and four great-grandchildren, all sources of pride to her; and many beloved nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth, in the 64th year of their marriage; her much-missed daughter, Dianne; her parents; and her six siblings, Lester, Elizabeth Badsky, Princess Ledridge, Charles Wesley Jr., Champ, and Turner.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Haines United Methodist Church Building Fund or the American Cancer Society.

Orange Hopkins

Orange Hopkins, 88, a former Baker City resident, died April 2, 2005, at his home in Winnemucca, Nev.

His funeral will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at Gray's West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave.

Burial will be at Mount Hope Cemetery. There will be a reception afterward at the Baker Senior Center, 2810 Cedar St.

Orange Allen Hopkins was born July 10, 1916, at Lamar, Colo., to Olive and Chester Hopkins. He had a family of five brothers and sisters: Calvin Hopkins, Evelyn Ames, Emma Ellis, Bill Hopkins and Ava Fullerton. The family moved to Idaho when Orange was a teen. He had a great love for horses, and worked with them his entire life.

He married Eila "Babe" Buffington in August 1940. Together they had seven children: Joanne Allen, Richard Hopkins, Donna Coble, Kaye Fleming, Linda Peters, Rosanne Van Patten, and Chester Hopkins. They were married for 30 years.

Orange lived and worked in many Western states as a roofer, construction worker, sheepherder, and apple orchard manager. He owned and operated an auto-wrecking yard in Portland for many years.

While auto racing, he met and became friends with the Ray brothers, Joe and Jess. The family soon attended Pastor Ray's Church.

Baker City was Orange's home during his highway construction years. He retired from highway construction work in 1980 and moved to Boise. He met Carolyn Clarke while in Boise and they had a long, loving relationship.

Orange flea-marketed horse tack and treasures of all kinds throughout the Northwest. He made many friends, who knew him as "Baker White Hat." In his later years he moved to Winnemucca to live near his daughter, Donna, and son-in-law, Jerry Coble, who took very loving care of him.

Orange enjoyed his seven children, 32 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren. He taught them all that family was very important. You could always find him at the "Hopkins Reunion" with an armful of watermelons, and spraying for mosquitoes on the second Sunday in August.

Purple was his favorite color. His love of hunting and fishing was always a part of his life. He took his seven kids deer hunting and taught them a love of the outdoors. He enjoyed catfishing from his boat with his family on the Snake River. He amazed all of his family by waterskiing, riding motorcycles and traveling while in his 70s and 80s.

Orange was always there to help and talk to. He will be greatly missed by his family and numerous friends.

Orange is survived by his daughters and sons-in-law, Joanne and Bill Allen of Gaston, Donna and Jerry Coble of Winnemucca, Kaye and Walt Fleming of Naples, Fla., and Rosanne and Gary Van Patten of Baker City; a daughter, Linda Peters of Portland; sons and daughters-in-law, Richard and Loretta Hopkins of St. Helens, and Chet and Jeanette Hopkins of Coulee Dam, Wash.; and by Eila Lewis of Baker City.

He was preceded in death by his parents and siblings; a granddaughter, Tonia Roper; a grandson, Michael Coble; and grandbabies.